Tottenham are close to stopping a deplorable record at Chelsea, but Harry Kane must emulate Cristiano Ronaldo to stop the rot against the Blues as he targets Thierry Henry’s London derby record

Tottenham will need to overcome their bogey side Chelsea if they are to establish themselves as genuine challengers for the title this season.

Spurs have been tipped to rival Manchester City and Liverpool this term following their stunning Matchday One win over Southampton.

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Antonio Conte’s side put Saints to the sword as they picked up where they left off last season by qualifying for the Champions League.

It’s the start of Conte’s first full campaign in charge of Spurs, but a trip to his old turf is giving his side an early test.

Tottenham have won just one of their last 37 away matches against Chelsea in all competitions – while Conte was in the opposite dugout!

During their miserable run, the Lilywhites have lost 24 games, including their last visit – a 2-0 defeat in January.

If Conte is to reverse their fortunes at Stamford Bridge, he’ll need talisman Harry Kane to end his Chelsea hoodoo.

The England captain appeared on the bench in Tottenham’s famous 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge in April 2018 but failed to score.

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And that marks a worrying trend for Kane, who has failed to score in any of his last five games against Chelsea – his third-longest goalless streak against a Premier League side.

The other two sides were both from Manchester, which makes his struggles at Chelsea all the more surprising given his London derby record.

Kane’s 41 Premier League goals in derby games in England’s capital leaves him just two short of Arsenal icon Thierry Henry’s all-time feat.

Kane’s task will now be to emulate two of the greatest of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who also failed against Chelsea.

Ronaldo clinched a 1-1 draw with the Blues in April, having failed to find the net on 12 previous attempts going to his head in the 2008 Champions League final.

Messi, meanwhile, finally ended a nine-game, 729-minute drought against Chelsea in a European showdown in 2018.

Once again, Conte was the man responsible – this Sunday he and Kane get the chance to lay down a scorer and exercise their Chelsea demons.